The Next Bus
by obsidians
Summary: They say that boys are like buses. If you miss the first one, the next one will be along in ten minutes. Rated M for lemons in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Ranma ½ or its characters; Rumiko Takahashi does and I make no money from writing this story.

Sorry really into Ranmachan-Mousse lately. They say that boys are like buses. If you miss the first one, the next one will be along in ten minutes.

I'm looking for a beta that does anime dark fics, lemons, dark lemons, some BDSM fantasy and general fluff. Does anyone know of anyone or would care to volunteer? I would rather do less volume and receive fewer complaints; I am a skim editor and suck as result.

Thanks,

Sid

Mousse walked home reflecting on the strange developments that had happened in the last month. The first had been the death of Ryoga; that had been a harsh blow to everyone who knew him. He'd died when trying to rescue an elderly lady from a burning building, he did manage to save her, but she'd sobbed to him about the loss of her cat. So the brave boy went back, only to get lost and died of smoke inhalation. Everyone had attended his funeral; it has been a sad day for all. Mousse hadn't been close to him, but they had their curses in common and he'd genuinely liked the other martial artist. Mousse mourned his passing.

The other bizarre development was that Ranma seemed to be locked permanently into her female form. She had gathered all of her fiancées and enemies together and had publically dissolved her engagements as she was not able to legally marry any of them. She further announced that she was leaving Nerima to seek a cure and probably wouldn't be returning for a long time. Seeing his dreams for his son at an end, her father had abandoned her as he feared his wife's blade. A brokenhearted Ukyou had sold her business and left for destinations unknown. Akane had announced that she'd never wanted Ranma as anything more then a friend. Kodachi had simply found another guy to pursue. Shampoo and Cologne realized that Shampoo would never marry Ranma, so they to had sold their business and left for China. Shampoo could have killed Ranma and fulfilled her kiss of death, but simply didn't want to. They'd left Mousse in Nerima to find his own way back to China; he'd managed to find work on a cruise ship as a waiter and would be departing in a few days.

Mousse had decided to take a walk through the busy streets of Nerima, the place that had been his home for over a year now. So much had changed, he'd finally realized that Shampoo would never love him and had given up on her. They had had the honest, heart-to-heart talk that was long overdue and formed a friendship from it. She'd given him a hug before departing, after she apologized about her great-grandmother not paying for his ticket home. He'd assured her that there was no hard feelings and watched her get on the plane, he'd felt like he'd closed a chapter of his life. He wondered idly what the next chapter would bring.

He found himself wondering how Ranma was doing; she'd departed with only a pack on her back containing all of her worldly possessions. She'd left in the night so that no one could stop her or follow her. Mousse didn't hate her and never had, she'd merely been in the way of his goal. He'd even admired her in a way.

Mousse found himself wandering for hours, as if saying his final goodbyes to every part of the city. He was still staying at the Nekohanten until he left and would hand over the keys to the new owners. Feeling tired, he headed for home, cutting through the park to shorten the distance. A flash of red caught his eyes, very apparent on a snowy day like this. He turned his head towards it and was surprised to find a petite redheaded girl sitting on a bench in the bitter cold. "Miss are you okay?" he asked sensing sadness coming from the recumbent figure.

She looked up to reveal weary blue eyes; there was defeat in her gaze.

"Ranma!" Mousse said in shock, he noted the fatigue in her drawn features. He also noticed that she wore only a poncho type thing over her regular Chinese clothes, she'd taken to wearing that a few months ago. "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I have nowhere to go" she admitted.

"But I thought you'd left?" he said having a seat beside her.

"I did, I was living at a rooming house until I ran out of money. I sold everything I own and now don't have anywhere to stay" she said. "Please don't tell anyone that you saw me" she implored him.

Mousse frowned; he wasn't seeing his former enemy when he looked at her, now all he saw was a sad, young girl sorely in need of help. "Why didn't you go to the Tendos? They would have taken you in" he said.

"I can't ever go back there" she said, but offered no other explanations.

"Come with me" Mousse suggested "I'm leaving for China soon, but can at least offer you hot showers, warm meals and a bed to sleep in for a few days" he said and offered her his coat.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked.

"Because you need it. Come with me, our battle is done and I'm still alone. I could really use the company" he said as if she was doing him a favour...and not the other way round, she stood up and allowed him to help her into his coat. See how she swam in it, Mousse noticed for the first time how tiny she really was as she trudged back to his place.

She stopped shivering when she got into the warm apartment. "I'll draw you a bath. Those clothes have to be washed" Mousse said noticing how fifthly her clothes were and that she didn't have a spare set. He also noticed that her hair looked greasy and her braid was sloppy. He didn't think that she'd properly bathed for a while.

She suddenly looked nervous "I'll wash my own clothes" she said hastily.

"Don't be silly, I have a load to do and can throw yours in with mine. I have some clothes that I've outgrown, you might have to roll them up a bit, but they should be fine" Mousse said and led her into the onsen. He left her to bathe after she tossed him her clothes.

Humming he placed the laundry into the machine and turned it on, and then put on some ramen that he'd made the day before to reheat it for the starving girl.

He opened his dresser and pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt similar to what Ranma normally wore and took them to her.

Ranma settled gratefully into the bath and relaxed, feeling the chill to go out of her bones. She'd been cold for so long that she'd forgotten how warmth felt. She smoothed her hands down her changing body and hoped her rough living conditions hadn't done any damage. She sighed and lay back to soak in the intoxicating warmth and then sniffed the air. She recognized the smell of Amazon ramen and her mouth watered; she hadn't eaten properly in days. Finally feeling clean she stood up and exited the curtain to slip into the robe that Mousse had left for her.

Mousse knocked on the door, unaware that Ranma couldn't hear him because her ears were submerged; he called "Ranma are you decent?" Knowing there was a modesty curtain over the bath itself for the privacy of the women he formerly used to live with, he pushed open the door. "I found these, they're not the greatest, but they'll do until your own clothes..." he said and then gaped at the naked girl before him. She just looked back at him nervously and dropped her robe in surprise. It wasn't that she was naked that the sight of her disturbed him, he'd seen her pretty much naked before along with the rest of the Nerima Wreck Crew. It wasn't that her hair hung down her back in long, wet strands. It was the curve of her swollen belly. Mousse's mother had had four children and he knew a pregnant woman when he saw one. "R-ranma who, when?" he stammered. The expression on her face confirmed that she knew the he had figured out her secret.


	2. Chapter 2

Ranma lowered her gaze and blushed at his scrutiny. Realizing that he was making her uncomfortable, Mousse picked up the robe and held it open for her. She looked at him warily but allowed him to wrap it around her; he left to allow her to dress.

He met her at the table and didn't ask any further questions while she fell on the ramen and gulped it as only the truly hungry can. Mousse was a bit surprised by her appetite when she bolted down three bowls, until he had to resort to feeding her bread and butter until she was actually full.

She looked nervous as she wiped the final crumbs from her face. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her patiently.

She felt very weird under the circumstances, considering everything she was wearing belonged to Mousse, right down his socks and underwear. She'd had to borrow his deodorant and hairbrush to. She wondered whether to admit her secret or not to her former enemy. He'd been so kind to her and she needed a friend now more then ever. "It's Ryoga's baby" she said in a voice barely above a whisper, refusing to meet his eye.

Mousse's eye bulged out of his head; he certainly wasn't expecting it to be his! He couldn't see her sleeping with Kuno, but the shy, virginal Ryoga was the last person he'd suspected.

"Did he force you?" he asked, picturing this even less.

"No, we are in love...were in love. It happened one night when we were training together. We were sparring and he kissed me, I was so shocked that I kissed him back. He admitted that he'd been attracted to me when I was a male and loved that I could become a girl. I fell in love with him on the spot; that someone could accept both sides of me. He made me feel special and taught me that I wasn't a freak" she said blinking tears away. "I'm not a freak" she said raising her head and glaring a challenge at him.

"Ranma, I have two percent vision in both my eyes and turn into a duck; if anyone understands about wanting to be accepted its me" Mousse assured her, which made her feel a little better. "What are you planning to do?" he asked her.

"I don't know, I can't go home or my mother will make me commit seppuku and I would be ruined if anyone found out about this" she said. "The original plan was that I would pretend I was locked to get rid of my fiancées and then meet Ryoga at his boarding house. We were going to travel back to his home and tell his parent that we were married so they that would help us, but he died and I didn't know what to do! I stayed at the boarding house as long as I could and then went to find Ukyou, I thought that she might help me as an old friend, but her restaurant was closed" she said.

"She sold her business and moved away after your announcement "Mousse informed her.

"Oh" she said, realizing she'd found another deadend.

"So Ryoga knew about his child? Why risk his life then?" Mousse asked.

"That was just how Ryoga was" Ranma said.

Mousse nodded in understanding, Ryoga had been noble and tenderhearted in his way. "Couldn't you go to his family if you carry their grandchild?" he asked her sitting forward.

"What if they don't believe me?" she asked.

"I see what you mean. Than what will you do?" Mousse asked her.

Ranma shrugged "I guess camp out until I can find some sort of work" she said.

"Camp out, are you insane? You're pregnant; you have to remain warm, eat properly and exercise properly. What did your doctor say?" Mousse said appalled at the idea.

"I've never been to one" she admitted.

Mousse pinched the bridge of his nose at her naivety "you have to be careful, there are tests you need take, you need to prenatal vitamins. There are so many things that can go wrong" he said.

"I don't have the money for those, or insurance for doctor's visits. I don't have anything. I'm not sure anyone would even hire me in my condition. How am I supposed to stay home and take care of myself when I don't have one?" Ranma asked feeling defeated, she hadn't realized how hard being pregnant was. She missed Ryoga and longed for him.

Mousse looked at her desperate expression and remembered another girl who'd looked at him like that. Her face and hair had been darker and her eyes more of a turquoise colour, but the expression was the same. He'd failed her and wouldn't fail this girl. He weighed his options. He had a hut that was meant for a family of five and lived on his own. He had a job that he was returning to, which easily paid for anything that his mother's farm couldn't produce. Ranma had no place to go; that was the main issue. But did he want to take her into his home? Did he really want to help her through her pregnancy and perhaps help her raise her and Ryoga's child? It was a big responsibility for someone his age, but she was the same age as him and homeless. Mousse finally resolved what he had to do, he made a horrible white knight for his former enemy, but he was all she had at the moment. "You could come live with me in China" he suggested. "I have a place or my own and a job, you could stay with me until you get on your feet"

Ranma's head shot up in shock, this was something she'd never thought that he would say. She looked at him warily "I can't do what I did with Ryoga with you" she said blushing.

Mousse shot to his feet at the insult "How dare you even think that! Do you really think me so base, so disgusting that I would make such a sickening bargain with a girl in need for _sex_? So I'm so ugly that I'm desperate now?" he snarled. He raised a trembling hand and pointed to her, "anyone woman I know could be sitting in that chair and I would offer her the same thing because she needed help. Here take my bank card! I don't have much in my account but it will last you for a few weeks if you're careful, than you just have to seek out charity places for help" he said and slammed it on the table in front of her.

Ranma lowered her eyes from the raging Chinese man, "I'm sorry, I'm not used to anyone but Ryoga doing anything for me without expecting marriage, love or sex" she said. "I didn't mean to insult you. Why would you be willing to take me into your home?" she asked.

Mousse got a flash of the same dark, anguished face and said "let's just say that I did the wrong thing once and need to atone for it karmatically" he said.

"I don't know what to say" she said feeling overwhelmed about the idea returning to almost the exact same place where her curse began.

"Say yes, I think we'll get along. I know a lot about babies being a male Amazon, who are normally the domestic partners in a marriage. I have even studied to be a midhusband. I can help you look after yourself properly and you'll have your own room" Mousse said.

"How would we get there?" she asked.

"I took a job on a cruise ship leaving in a few days; they asked if I knew of any girls who wanted a job as a waitress. If you apply, we can probably get you there with two weeks pay and all room and board covered." Mousse said.

"I-I don't know, I hate working as a waitress" she said.

"What's to like about it? It's a demeaning job and I hate having to smile all the time, but I can't resist being paid to go home" Mousse said with a shrug. "Now say yes, you don't have to do a thing for me but be my roommate. I'm not used to living alone anymore and don't recall liking it in the first place" Mousse said allowing a bit of his own vulnerability to show.

Ranma had to admit that his idea was logical "I don't see how it could work, as soon as Shampoo finds out that I was lying, then she'll start pursuing me over that stupid law again" Ranma said distastefully.

Mousse felt a stab of pain that always accompanied hearing Xian Pu's name "you don't have to worry about her. Much has changed while you were away, that law is now null and void and she's getting married" he said.

Ranma's eyes bugged out in surprise at this.


End file.
